De Blasio says he's cut off contact with major lobbyist amid probes

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday he has cut off contact with the city’s highest-earning lobbyist in the wake of multiple investigations into his administration and allegations of influence peddling.

Emails between City Hall and employees of the lobbying firm James F. Capalino & Associates, obtained by multiple news outlets in response to a Freedom of Information request, show Capalino, once a close friend of the mayor and a top bundler for his re-election campaign, emailed de Blasio directly in 2015 to ask for a meeting with the mayor for one of his clients.

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The records indicate de Blasio agreed to meet three weeks later with Capalino and his client, Wang Jianlin, who is the “richest man” in China and head of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda, to talk about the mogul’s potential plans for real estate expansion in New York City.

Dalian Wanda is also one of the buyers involved in the sale of Rivington House, a onetime nursing home now slated to become luxury condominiums, although de Blasio said that from what he remembered of the meeting, “we didn’t talk about anything involving any specific development. I remember it was mainly him talking about his movie theater empire.”

De Blasio said Tuesday at an unrelated press conference that he’s no longer answering such direct requests from lobbyists and he’s cut off contact with Capalino amid the swirl of investigations into his administration, including inquiries centered on the question of whether the administration has taken favorable action on behalf of donors or other individuals who had business before the city.

“I have not been in touch with Mr. Capalino,” de Blasio said. “He, going into the mayoralty, was someone I respected as a friend and who I talked to a lot over the years. But I do not have contact with him anymore.”

De Blasio said he cut off contact with Capalino “awhile back” but couldn’t offer a more specific date. He referred reporters to his press secretary for more details.

Since the investigations, “I just have very very very little contact with lobbyists,” de Blasio said. “I think in this atmosphere, it’s absolutely sensible to have nothing to do with them.”

"From the moment Mr. Capalino’s name came up in the outside reviews, the mayor chose not to have any other exchanges with him," de Blasio spokesman Eric Phillips said.

The mayor reiterated a position he’s taken in public since the investigations began, that people who work in his administration are a “very, very careful scrupulous group of people [who are] very careful about everything we do.”

A few moments earlier, the mayor answered questions about why his campaign had asked Joseph Finnerty, one of his appointees to the city Water Board, to serve as a co-sponsor for a reelection fundraiser, which led to Finnerty's paying a $1,000 fine to the board and resigning his position.

De Blasio described that as "an honest mistake" on the part of his campaign.

“I’ve had conversations with lobbyists. Doesn't mean they’re going to get what they want. It does not matter if someone’s a friend, doesn't matter if someone’s a supporter. That does not guarantee them anything. That’s how we’ve comported ourselves throughout,” he said.

When he took office in January 2014, de Blasio implemented a policy of publicly disclosing any meetings he had with lobbyists. The mayor met with Capalino more than any other lobbyist — three times in 2015, records show. That database hasn’t been updated since April 30 of this year. A spokesman for the mayor told POLITICO that no one had personally lobbied the mayor since April 12, days after reports surfaced that his campaign was under federal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's office.

Capalino was the city’s highest-earning lobbyist last year. His firm reported earning $12.9 million in compensation in 2015.

Capalino has done particularly well under the de Blasio administration. His earnings have increased 172 percent since 2013, when his firm earned $4.7 million. In 2014, the firm earned $8.2 million. His firm also has 304 registered clients, the most clients of any lobbying firm in the city.

De Blasio on Tuesday dodged reporters’ questions about whether Capalino enjoyed a particularly unusual level of access at City Hall.

“I can’t speak to every relationship every lobbyist has. I just don't have enough of a vision of that. But I think it’s fair to say that there are plenty of lobbyists doing legitimate business representing clients who need to work with City Hall and we try to treat everyone fairly but that kind of situation does exist,” he said.

His relationship with Capalino seemed to go beyond business, and de Blasio’s remarks Tuesday were tinged with a note of sadness.

“There was a real friendship there, but at this point I’m not in contact with him,” the mayor said.

“As would be expected with the largest government relations practice in New York City, our team of professionals communicates with officials at City Hall and city agencies on a daily basis — thoughtfully, responsibly and respectfully -— as we advocate for our clients" a spokesman for Capalino said. "Our firm has never relied on direct interaction with any of the five mayors who have held office since the firm was founded more than 30 years ago.”